Wow what a game.
As a guy who grew up in the golden age of the arcades I always thought Popeye was a great game. Having read Dave's review I knew I had to get this one. It does not disappoint at all. I got this on Ebay a few days back and it is just as fun as I remember. And like the Critic said it is arcade perfect. Down to every detail as far as I can tell. I'm sure most of you know the premise. A combination of Donkey Kong and Pac Man. But it stands on it's own and I have had a rip roaring good time playing it for awhile. I can't criticize this in any way except for one point in which I disagree with The VGC.
Dave said the lack of a jump button just improves the strategy. And I agree on the first several levels. But as you progress Bluto just gets faster and faster and you never know when he will reach up to nail you. You just can't avoid him after a while and in these latter stages I think a jump button should have been used.
But overall a fantastic version on the NES of a great arcade game.
Grade: A-
Popeye (NES)
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Re: Popeye (NES)
Nice read Matmico. I always enjoyed Popeye in the arcade back in the day. Big, colorful characters, just the right amount of difficulty, quite a bit going on, and fun gameplay. Never played the NES version, but if it's anything like the arcade version, it's a winner.
- JustLikeHeaven
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Re: Popeye (NES)
Heh...I literally just picked up a copy of this game today. I've been on an arcade style kick and there are some really great choices on the NES. Popeye tends to get overlooked in the NES library, but for fans of highscore gaming it isn't one to be missed!
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Re: Popeye (NES)
I agree. Popeye is classic goodness. I actually first played this game on a friends computer back in 86 I think. I got the NES version years later.
- Atariboy
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Re: Popeye (NES)
Been playing this a lot lately and wanted to add my praise.
I also believe I've picked up on a noteworthy difference after firing up MAME a few minutes ago. I'm not seeing the Sea Hag that materializes on the side of the screen to throw a bottle at you.
There's one on each side of the screen on the 3rd level of this screenshot, with bottles in the air flying towards Popeye.
I also believe I've picked up on a noteworthy difference after firing up MAME a few minutes ago. I'm not seeing the Sea Hag that materializes on the side of the screen to throw a bottle at you.
There's one on each side of the screen on the 3rd level of this screenshot, with bottles in the air flying towards Popeye.
- VideoGameCritic
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Re: Popeye (NES)
I forgot how great this game is! Thanks for bringing it back into the spotlight.
My reviews are getting so old (10-20 years) that I frankly can't remember writing a lot of them.
Pulling Popeye off my shelf now...
My reviews are getting so old (10-20 years) that I frankly can't remember writing a lot of them.
Pulling Popeye off my shelf now...
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Re: Popeye (NES)
I've played the NES version and the arcade version a lot in the past, by no means do the two match. As someone mentioned, there's no sea hag throwing bottles from the side. Also, there is a lot of graphical detail missing on every stage of the NES version.
For those who don't know. The game indirectly brought Mario into the world. Nintendo had a bunch of unsold Radar Scope arcade machines in the early 80's, so they tried to get the rights to create a Popeye game to fill the cabinets. That initial effort failed, so they instead took the "Bluto versus Popeye" concept and created Donkey Kong. The ape replaced Bluto. The rest is history. Of course they were later successful at getting the Popeye license.
For those who don't know. The game indirectly brought Mario into the world. Nintendo had a bunch of unsold Radar Scope arcade machines in the early 80's, so they tried to get the rights to create a Popeye game to fill the cabinets. That initial effort failed, so they instead took the "Bluto versus Popeye" concept and created Donkey Kong. The ape replaced Bluto. The rest is history. Of course they were later successful at getting the Popeye license.
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Re: Popeye (NES)
I love these sort of older arcade games. This reminds me a little of Donkey Kong, with the one-screen, but incredibly-fun gameplay. Also reminds me of when I was a little kid, I started crying one day. My mom asked me why and I told her that I had seen Popeye earlier in the day, and I had felt sorry for Bluto, who was stuck way out in the desert because his truck broke down.
Fun game.
Fun game.
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Re: Popeye (NES)
I always thought that Popeye was a dead-ringer for Kangaroo, or vice-versa. It's a great game. If it has a fault, it's that I was always wanting a 2nd or 3rd level (like Donkey Kong).
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Re: Popeye (NES)
LuckyWDFN wrote:I always thought that Popeye was a dead-ringer for Kangaroo, or vice-versa. It's a great game. If it has a fault, it's that I was always wanting a 2nd or 3rd level (like Donkey Kong).
Either I’m not understanding what you’re saying or you haven’t played it in a while; Popeye has three levels.